Hinged and latched raceway

ABSTRACT

A hinged duct system having a base and a cover hingedly attached to the base. The base has a bottom wall, a first sidewall and a second sidewall that define a channel therebetween. The cover has a top wall, a first end portion and a second end portion. The cover is attached to one of the sidewalls of the base by a hinge mechanism. The hinge mechanism has a hook member located at a distal end of one of the sidewalls of the base and a hook member located at one of the end portions of the cover. A flexible member is disposed along the hinge mechanism to preventing the cover from sliding with respect to the base when the cover rotates about the base.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a wiring cable duct system including abase and a cover, and more particularly to a wiring cable duct systemhaving a cover attached to the base by a hinge mechanism on one side toallow the cover to rotate for easy access in the raceway and a latchmechanism on the opposite side to secure the cover when in a closedposition.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A wide variety of wiring duct and raceway systems are known for routingvarious types of wires and cables. Typical duct or raceway systemsconsist of a base member and a cover that may be hinged, snap latched orotherwise engageable with the base. In operation, it often becomesnecessary to remove or open the cover to allow access to the cablecontaining area of the base member. Frequently, an installer needs torepair, reconfigure or install new cables in the raceway system.Removal, storage and replacement of the cover over the entire systemduring this process can be time consuming and otherwise problematic.Therefore, many raceway systems use a hinged duct cover with the base.However, certain duct covers suffer from the inability to remain alignedwith the base and tend to slide axially with respect to the base whenthe cover is rotated away from the base.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a hinged duct system having a basemember and a cover. The base member has a bottom wall, a first sidewalland a second sidewall. The base member also includes a channel locatedbetween the sidewalls. The cover has a top wall, a first end portion anda second end portion. The cover is hingedly attached to one of thesidewalls of the base member by a hinge mechanism. The hinge mechanismhas a hook member located at a distal end of one of the sidewalls of thebase and a hook member located at one of the end portions of the cover.The hinge mechanism enables the cover to rotate about the base. Aflexible member is disposed along the hinge mechanism to prevent thecover from sliding with respect to the base.

Additionally, one of the sidewalls of the base of the hinged duct systemhas a protrusion that extends from an edge of the sidewall. Theprotrusion limits the rotation of the cover with respect to the base asthe cover rotates about the base.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The features and advantages of this invention will become apparent fromthe following description of preferred embodiments with reference to theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the hinged and latchedraceway according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the hinged and latched raceway illustrated inFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a partial enlargement of the hinge mechanism of the racewayillustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a partial enlargement of the latch mechanism of the racewayillustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the hinge mechanism with a flexiblevinyl member disposed on the cover of the raceway illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a front view of the raceway system of FIG. 1 with the latchmechanism released;

FIG. 7 is a front view of the raceway system of FIG. 1 with the coverrotated away from the base;

FIG. 8 is a front view of the raceway system of FIG. 1 with the coverrotated to a 90° angle with respect to the base;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the raceway system of FIG. 1 with thecover maintained at a 90° angle with respect to the base;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the hinged andlatched raceway according to the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a front view of the hinged and latched raceway illustrated inFIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a partial enlargement of the hinge mechanism of the racewayillustrated in FIG. 10;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the hinge mechanism with a flexiblevinyl member disposed on the base of the raceway illustrated in FIG. 10;

FIG. 14 is a front view of the raceway system of FIG. 10 with the coverrotated to a 90° angle with respect to the base; and

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the raceway system of FIG. 10 with thecover maintained at a 90° angle with respect to the base.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

One embodiment of the hinged and latched raceway or duct 20 of thepresent invention is illustrated in FIGS. 1-9. A second embodiment ofthe hinged and latch raceway is illustrated in FIGS. 10-15. Asillustrated in FIGS. 1 and 10, each embodiment of the raceway includes abase 22 and a cover 80 that is secured to the base 22 by a hingemechanism on one side and a latch mechanism on the opposite side. Theraceway may be formed from any suitable material, but is preferablyformed from a plastic material, such as PVC.

As shown in FIG. 2, the base 22 has a bottom wall 24 and first andsecond sidewalls 26, 28 which may be integrally formed or otherwiseaffixed together. The bottom wall 22 and the sidewalls 26, 28 define areceiving channel 34 for wires or the like. The distal end 30 of thefirst sidewall 26 includes a hook 40 that forms part of the hingemechanism. The hook 40 includes a flange 42 that extends inwardly intothe receiving channel 34 from an edge 50 of the sidewall. The hook 40also has an inverted generally J-shape with a straight portion 44 and acurved portion 46. The flange 42, straight portion 44 and the curvedportion 46 define a cavity 52 therebetween.

The first sidewall 26 also includes a bump or protrusion 54 that extendsupwardly from the edge 50 of the sidewall such that it is positionedabove the flange 42 and is located at the opening of the cavity 52formed by the J-shaped hook 40. As will be described with respect toFIGS. 7-9, the protrusion 54 prevents the cover 80 from rotating beyond90° with respect to the base 22.

The distal end 32 of the second sidewall 28 includes a latch 60 thatforms part of the latch mechanism. The latch 60 has a bottom portionwith an angled wall 62 that is directed inwardly towards the channel 34and a top portion with a single arrowhead 64 that is directed outwardlyfrom the channel 34. The second sidewall 28 also includes a step 66 thatleads to the angled wall 62 of the latch 60.

The bottom wall 24 of the base 22 includes a plurality of pre-punchedholes, not illustrated, to aid in the installation of the raceway. Theinner surface of the bottom wall 24 may also include a groove 70 locatedalong the center of the base to aid in the positioning of a drill forinstalling the raceway, if desired. The inner surface of the bottom wallincludes an upwardly extending rib 72 positioned on either side of thepre-punched holes and the center groove. The ribs 72 protect the wirespositioned in the raceway from being damaged by the heads of the screwsthat are used to install the raceway.

The outer surface of the bottom wall 24 is configured to enable theraceway to be mounted to fittings on the walls, floors or the like. Theouter surface includes a recess 74 at the center of the bottom wall 24and a notch 76 at the bottom of each of the sidewalls 26, 28. The recess74 and the notches 76 accommodate the fittings used to install theraceway.

FIG. 2 also illustrates the cover installed on the base. The cover 80includes a generally planar top wall 82 and a curved first and secondend portion 84, 86. The first end portion 84 includes a hook 90 forengaging the hook 40 at the distal end 30 of the first sidewall 26 ofthe base 22. A finger 98 is formed on the cover and spaced inwardly fromthe hook 90 so as to define an opening 102 therebetween. The opening 102accommodates the hook 40 located at the distal end 30 of the firstsidewall 26 when the cover is installed on the base. The second endportion 86 includes a latch 110 for engaging the latch 60 at the distalend 32 of the second sidewall 28. A finger 114 is formed on the coverand spaced inwardly from the latch 110 so as to define an opening 118.The opening 118 accommodates the latch 60 at the distal end 32 of thesecond sidewall 28 when the cover is installed on the base.

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate an enlarged view of the hinge mechanism and thelatch mechanism of the present invention, respectively. As shown inFIGS. 3 and 5, the hook 90 at the first end portion 84 of the cover isgenerally C-shaped. The generally C-shaped hook 90 engages the straightportion 44 of the generally J-shaped hook 40 of the first sidewall 26when the cover 80 is in a closed position over the base.

The raceway includes a layer of a co-extruded flexible member 104 thatextends the length of the raceway. The flexible member is formed from avinyl material. The raceway embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1-9 featuresthe layer of the flexible member disposed on the inner surface 96 of theC-shaped hook 90. When the cover 80 is installed on the base 22, theflexible vinyl member 104 on the inner surface of the C-shaped hook 90engages the straight portion 44 of the J-shaped hook 40 of the firstsidewall 26. As the cover 80 is rotated, the flexible vinyl member 104and the C-shaped hook 90 enter the cavity 52 defined by the J-shapedhook 40 and continue to engage the straight portion 44 of the J-shapedhook 40. The layer of the flexible vinyl member 104 provides aninterference between the base hook 40 and the cover hook 90 that formthe hinge mechanism. As a result, the flexible vinyl member 104 preventsthe cover 80 from sliding axially with respect to the base.

The finger 98 is curved so that a portion of the finger may contact thecurved portion 46 of the J-shaped hook when the J-shaped hook 40 isdisposed in the opening 102 between the finger 98 and the C-shaped hook90. The finger 98 is always in a pre-loaded condition to insure that thehinge mechanism has secured the cover 80 to the base 22. The finger 98also insures that the hinge mechanism is able to smoothly rotate thecover 80.

As shown in FIG. 4, the latch 110 at the end portion 86 of the cover 80includes a downwardly extending single arrowhead 112 that faces inwardlytowards the C-shaped hook 90 at the opposite end portion 84 of the cover80. The arrowhead 112 of the cover latch 110 is similar to the singlearrowhead 64 of the base latch 60 except that the cover arrowhead hasbeen rotated 180 degrees so that the arrowheads are able to interlock.The finger 114 spaced from the latch 110 also has a smooth curved radiussurface that is always under tension when it engages the base latch 60positioned in the opening 118 to insure that the latch mechanism issecure.

To install the cover on the base of the raceway, the C-shaped hook 90 atthe first end portion 84 of the cover 80 is aligned with the J-shapedhook 40 at the distal end 30 of the first sidewall 26. Next, theC-shaped hook 90 is pushed down until it snap locks into position on theJ-shaped hook 40. As a result, the finger 98 engages the curved portion46 of the J-shaped hook 40 and the C-shaped hook 90 with the flexiblevinyl member 104 engages the straight portion 44 of the J-shaped hook40. The latch 110 at the second end portion 86 of the cover 80 alsosnaps into a locking engagement with the latch 60 at the second sidewall28 of the base 22. As a result, the arrowheads 112, 64 of each latch110, 60, respectively, interlock and the finger 114 engages the backside of the latch 60 of the second side wall 28 to ensure that the cover80 is locked in a closed position.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4, when the cover 80 is secured to the base22, the latching mechanism defines a slot or opening 120 between thecover latch 110 and the base latch 60. The slot 120 accommodates ascrewdriver or other flat tool to enable the cover 80 to be removed fromthe base 22 by separating the cover latch 110 from the base latch 60 todisengage the latching mechanism. Once the latching mechanism has beendisengaged, the cover 80 may be rotated away from the base 22. Alsoshown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the protrusion 54 on the first side wall 26prevents or prohibits access into the hinge mechanism with a screwdriveror other flat tool. As a result, the first end portion 84 of the cover80 may not be removed from the base 22 by a screwdriver or other flattool.

As shown in FIGS. 7-9, as the cover 80 is rotated, the C-shaped hook 90enters the cavity 52 defined by the generally J-shaped hook 40 of thefirst sidewall 26 of the base 22 and the finger 98 follows the curvedportion 46 of the J-shaped hook 40 such that a portion of the finger 98is continuously in contact with the J-shaped hook 40. Once the cover 80has rotated 90 degrees, the C-shaped hook 90 contacts protrusion 54. Theprotrusion 54 prevents the cover 80 from rotating beyond 90 degrees withrespect to the base 22. Additionally, as discussed above, the straightportion 44 of the J-shaped hook 40 contacts the flexible vinyl member104 so that when the cover 80 is disposed at 90 degrees, the flexiblevinyl member 104 prevents the cover 80 from sliding with respect to thebase.

Alternatively, as illustrated in the raceway embodiment of FIGS. 10-15,the layer of the flexible vinyl member 104 may be positioned on theinverted generally J-shaped hook 40 of the first sidewall 26 of the base22. Preferably, the flexible member 104 is positioned within the cavity52 along the straight portion 44 of the J-shaped hook 40. The flexiblemember 104, however, may be positioned elsewhere along the J-shaped hookto prevent the cover from sliding with respect to the base. FIGS. 14-15illustrate the cover 80 rotated away from the base 22 with a portion ofthe C-shaped hook 90 engaging the flexible vinyl member 104 positionedon the straight portion 44 of the J-shaped hook 40. As discussed above,the flexible vinyl member 104 prevents the cover 80 from sliding withrespect to the base 22.

The embodiments of the hinged and latched raceway may also include a twosided pressure sensitive tape or adhesive that is positioned along theouter surface of the bottom wall of the base. The pressure sensitivetape provides a means of installing the raceway to the wall, floor orlike when using communication wires. For power applications, thepressure sensitive tape facilitates positioning the raceway duringinstallation.

Furthermore, while the particular preferred embodiments of the presentinvention have been shown and described, it will be obvious to thoseskilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made withoutdeparting from the teaching of the invention. The matter set forth inthe foregoing description and accompanying drawings is offered by way ofillustration only and not as limitation. The actual scope of theinvention is intended to be defined in the following claims when viewedin their proper perspective based on the prior art.

1.-27. (canceled)
 28. A hinged duct system comprising: a base memberwith a bottom wall and first and second sidewalls defining a channeltherebetween, the first sidewall having an edge and a distal end with ahook member, wherein the first sidewall has a protrusion extendingupwardly from the edge of the sidewall; and a cover hingedly attached toone of the sidewalls of the base member, the cover having a top wall andfirst and second end portions, the first end portion having a hookmember for engaging the hook member of the first sidewall, whereby whenthe cover rotates about the base, the protrusion limits the rotation ofthe cover with respect to the base.
 29. A hinged duct system comprising:a base member with a bottom wall and first and second sidewalls defininga channel therebetween, the first sidewall having an edge, a flange thatextends inwardly from the edge and a hook member extending from theflange and defining a cavity therebetween, wherein the first sidewallhas a protrusion extending upwardly from the edge of the sidewall at anopening of the cavity; and a cover hingedly attached to one of thesidewalls of the base member, the cover having a top wall and first andsecond end portions, the first end portion having a hook member forengaging the hook member of the first sidewall, whereby when the coverrotates about the base, the protrusion limits the rotation of the coverwith respect to the base.
 30. The hinged duct system of claim 29,wherein the protrusion prevents the cover from rotating beyond 90degrees with respect to the base.
 31. The hinged duct system of claim29, wherein the hook member of the cover engages the protrusion once thecover has rotated 90 degrees.
 32. The hinged duct system of claim 29,wherein the protrusion is disposed above the inwardly extending flange.